[Homeless patients in the psychiatric clinic. Results of a 12-month study of the living conditions of psychiatric patients in an urban public health clinic]

Abstract

In a psychiatric hospital with 3174 admissions in a year, 31% of the mentally ill and addicted patients have no private home. These homeless patients are surviving in different ways: 1. homeless without any kind of housing; living in the streets for a long time with high risks of morbidity and mortality; 2. living in shelters or hostels; 3. residents of local homes; 4. patients still have their private homes but they are urged to leave in the near future or they are living in dangerous circumstances with high risks for health. Case-management by social-workers and local political interventions are necessary to act against these high risk health problems of homeless patients in a psychiatric hospital.